Finding the Right Time to Purge Your Home
As the year comes to a close and the light of the new year twinkles in the glow of Christmas, I often find myself with a gift of time; a one or two week period that is entirely my own. The empty schedule offers a rare opportunity for me to do something for myself; and I am usually overcome by a passionate urge to downsize, cleanse and purge.
Several years ago, I moved into my design studio located in the West end of Toronto; a bright open concept seven hundred square foot space with eleven-foot ceilings. However, the years since moving have been flooded with work and personal commitments and there has been no time to fully settle in.
PHOTO BY VINCENT RIVAUD FROM PEXELS
Why it is Important to Declutter your Home
I believe that your surroundings have an impact on your emotional, mental, and physical health. My current situation has been no exception. The constant awareness and reminder that my ducks are not in order has grated on me for a long time. Hence the feeling of excitement at this long-awaited window of opportunity.
GETTING OUR DUCKS IN ORDER
Downsizing comes with all kinds of resistance, especially the act of committing our own personal time to the project. We are attached to the things we hold on to; sometimes because of sentimental or monetary value, and sometimes for fear that as soon as we get rid of the item, we will surely need it again. For me, I have a real challenge with and guilt around throwing things into a landfill; so when I downsize it is also an additional time commitment for me to dispose of things in an eco-friendly way.
PHOTO BY SARAH BROWN ON UNSPLASH
A New Perspective
Changing our perspective can help make the journey a more positive experience. For example, let’s say you are struggling with the monetary loss you feel that you will incur by getting rid of a bag of expensive designer clothes you never wear. Try thinking of the release as a form of generosity. You are giving a gift to someone less fortunate, or a donation to a charitable organization. You might also embrace the spiritual perspective that everything in the universe is made up of a form of energy; if you don’t use that item the energy stagnates. By getting rid of the things you no longer use you free up your energy karma to receive more of the things you do use, like money and clothes that fit properly.
ORGANIZED AND STYLED BY DESIGN FOR CONSCIOUS LIVING
Tips for Simplifying your Life
Armed with a few new perspectives, and a strong dose of will power, focus on the task of simplifying your life. The more stuff you get rid of the easier it becomes to get rid of stuff.
- books you have read and no longer need can be donated to the public library
- clothes that don’t fit right or that you never wear can be packed into bags and donated to second hand clothing stores
- plant pots and garden tools can be dropped off at your local garden club, where they will be sold to raise money for the organization
- old towels can be cut up into nice size rags for cleaning
- sell furniture and popular items in garage sales and online classified ads
- repair broken items or pitch them
PHOTO BY JEN THEODORE ON UNSPLASH
The Transformative Power of Purging
Whenever I have gone through a significant process of downsizing or cleansing in my life I always emerge with a sense of lightness. It feels as though major roadblocks have been removed and I am free of burdens I didn’t even know I had. It is an odd feeling to describe to someone who hasn’t been through the experience; but in a nutshell, clearing the clutter from my home serves to clear the clutter from my head. The open space that now exists offers a unique opportunity for me to re-brand my life and re-decorate my space in a way that reflects the higher vision of who I see myself becoming.
ORGANIZED AND STYLED BY DESIGN FOR CONSCIOUS LIVING
Asking for Help
Are you downsizing to a smaller home, frustrated by a lack of storage space and overall disorganization, or interested in making more efficient use of a small space? Design for Conscious Living® specializes in finding solutions for all your design and decorating challenges including spatial organization and home downsizing.
